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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · bowl · pitcher · ball · squash · scale · pass · bat

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com